Toothbrushes typically include tufted bristles because the tufted bristles are effective for cleaning the substantially smooth surface of teeth. Tufted bristles, however, are not effective for cleaning the uneven surface of the tongue since the tufts are incapable of reaching into the crevices where much of the bacteria and food particles are located. For this reason, various tongue cleaning devices have been created. These tongue cleaning devices may include tongue brush bristles and/or a tongue scraper. As opposed to tufted bristles, which are commonly formed of nylon, tongue brush bristles are typically formed of plastic (e.g., polyethylene) or rubber to allow the tongue brush bristles to be formed in various shapes and sizes. The tongue brush bristles are typically pointed and spaced so that the individual bristles can reach into the crevices of the tongue. The flexible pointed bristles of tongue brush bristles are effective in loosening the bacteria and food particles that are present on the soft surface of the tongue. It has been reported that up to 90% of bad breath comes from the tongue so the best way to eliminate bad breath is to remove the cause of bad breath rather than try to cover it up with gum, mints, or mouthwash.
Tongue brush bristles that are formed of plastic and spaced apart are not effective for cleaning the surface of the teeth. Therefore, it is common for an individual to own a toothbrush and a separate tongue cleaning device. However, using two separate devices to clean one's mouth is burdensome. As a result, even if an individual has a toothbrush and a separate tongue cleaning device, the individual is more likely to only use the toothbrush to brush his or her teeth and tongue.
Some manufacturers have attempted to address this problem by incorporating a tongue cleaning surface on the backside of a toothbrush opposite the tufted bristles. With such toothbrushes, the individual can brush his or her teeth using the tufted bristle side of the toothbrush and can then use the tongue cleaning surface on the opposite side of the toothbrush to brush the tongue. This type of tongue cleaning surface, however, is not very effective. Because it is positioned on the opposite side of the toothbrush from the tufted bristles, it is necessary that the tongue cleaning surface not protrude too far from the head of the toothbrush. Otherwise, the tongue cleaning surface would contact the inside of the mouth while the individual is brushing his or her teeth thereby causing discomfort or minimizing the ability to move the toothbrush in a brushing motion. For this reason, the tongue cleaning surface of such toothbrushes is typically configured with a number of rounded rubber bumps that only slightly protrude from the head. These rounded rubber bumps do little to extract the food particles and bacteria from the crevices of the tongue. Accordingly, there are few if any devices available that can be used to effectively clean both the teeth and the tongue.
It is also noted that some toothbrushes have been designed to include tufted bristles as well as gum massagers or stimulators. Typically, these gum massagers or stimulators are formed of rubber and positioned along the periphery of the toothbrush head so that they will contact the gums while the tufted bristles brush the teeth. Because these gum massagers or stimulators are formed of rubber, they lack the rigidity necessary to effectively clean the tongue. Also, the gum massagers or stimulators are typically much too big to reach into the crevices of the tongue. Therefore, if an individual were to use a toothbrush having gum massagers or stimulators to brush his or her tongue, it would not be effective.